South Dakota Ornithologists' Union

SOUTH DAKOTA Ornithologists’ Union

Gull-billed Tern Deuel Co., 6/01/16 Photo: Kathy Java

Golden-crowned Kinglet Rice County, MN • 4//10/16 Photo: Dan Tallman

South Dakota

BirD Notes Vol. 68 June 2016 No. 2 South Dakota Bird Notes, the official publication of the South Dakota Ornithologists’ Union, is sent to all members whose dues are paid for the current year. Life membership: $400; Family Life membership (one subscription to SD Bird Notes): $500; Sustaining membership: $40; Reg- ular membership: $20; Family membership (one household; one subscription to SD Bird Notes): $25; Junior/Student membership: $10; Library Subscription: $30. Single and back copies: Members, $5; non-members, $6. All dues, contributions, and orders for back copies should be sent to the SDOU Trea- surer, Rosemary Draeger, 2520 E. Whisper Trail, Sioux Falls, SD, 57108. Manuscripts for publication and change of address notices should be sent to Douglas Chapman (3108 S. Holly Ave., Sioux Falls, SD, 57105) or preferably, e-mailed to: [email protected]. SDOU website: www.sdou.org. ©2016 South Dakota Ornithologists’ Union. All Rights Reserved. Editor...... Douglas E. Chapman, Sioux Falls Youth Birding Editor...... Jason Thiele, Mooresville, NC Seasonal Reports Editor...... Jeffrey S. Palmer, Madison Book Reviews...... Dan A. Tallman, Northfield, MN Notable Sightings (Hot Spots)...... Ricky D. Olson, Ft. Pierre Associate Editors/Proofreaders:...... Bill Draeger, Sioux Falls Nancy Drilling, Rapid City Linda Johnson, Sioux Falls Vol. 68 JUNE 2016 No. 2 South Dakota Ornithologists’ Union Officers 2015 - 2016 President...... Roger Dietrich...... 506 Applewood Drive, Yankton, SD 57078 Vice President...... K. C. Jensen...... 46080 US Hwy 14, Volga, SD 57071 Secretary...... David Swanson...... USD, Vermillion, SD 57069 Treasurer...... Rosemary Draeger...... 2520 E Whisper Trail, Sioux Falls, SD 57108 Editor...... Douglas E. Chapman..... 3108 S Holly Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57105 Librarian...... Mick Zerr...... 6009 Jordan Court, Sioux Falls, SD 57106 Elected Directors For Term expiring 2016: Douglas Chapman, Sioux Falls; Gene K. Hess, Rapid City; Dick Latuchie, Rapid City; Kelly Preheim, Armour; and Scott Stolz, Pierre. For Term expiring 2017: Kent Jensen, Brookings; Gary Olson, Aberdeen; Ron Mabie, Pickstown; Duane Weber, Custer; and Mick Zerr, Sioux Falls. For Term expiring 2018: Chris Anderson, Sioux Falls; Bill Bossman, Pierre; Roger Dietrich, Yankton; Linda Johnson, Sioux Falls; and Mark Otnes, Fargo, ND. Past President Directors Jocelyn L. Baker, Addison Ball, L.M. Baylor, Gilbert Blankespoor, Rosemary Draeger, Nancy Drilling, Bruce Harris, Nelda Holden, Todd M. Jensen, Ricky D. Olson, Jeffrey S. Palmer, Rex Riis, Robb Schenck, Dennis Skadsen, David Swanson, Dan A. Tallman, J. David Williams.

Standing Committees of SDOU: Membership Committee: Bob Bork, Linda Johnson (chair), Mark Schmidtbauer. Nathaniel R. Whitney, Jr. Memorial Research Grants: Gene K. Hess (chair), Lin- da Johnson, Duane Weber. Rare Bird Records: Todd M. Jensen, Ricky D. Olson, Jeffrey S. Palmer, David Swanson (chair), J. David Williams. Scholarships and Awards: Nelda Holden, Ricky D. Olson (chair), Galen Steffen. Vol. 68 No. 2 page 30 June 2016 President’s Page

s SDOU a DO NOTHING organization? I recently received a very thoughtful and thought-provoking letter from an SDOU member. The writer believes that SDOU needs to re-evaluate its mission and work to changeI from a “quaint, vague small club” to a statewide organization that is capable of deal- ing with statewide conservation issues. I do not believe SDOU is a “do nothing” organization but I do believe as a group of intel- ligent individuals we can do more! We are all interested in birds, bird conservation and the study of birds. So what can we do that we have not been doing to help the birds?

Speak to service groups - If Yankton service groups are any indication, most of these groups are in need of speakers at their weekly meetings. These presentations are short, usually 20-30 minutes. Offer to speak about any bird topic of your choice, anything you feel comfortable with covering. I bet you will be taken up on your offer. When you speak, your passion for birds will show and, hopefully, some of that passion will transfer to your listeners and get more people interested in birds.

Assist youth organizations - SD State Park - Kid’s Bird Walk & Talk, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,

Teach adult learning classes on birds - I know several members have done this for years; try it, it's fun and you might get some new birding friends.

Growing the next generation of bird people - Volunteer with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H Clubs, etc. to teach the kids about birds. Just like with the adult learning classes, you do not have to be an expert you just need to teach the basics. The South Dakota State Parks have a theme this year of Getting the Family Outdoors. I volunteered to do a program we are calling "Kids Bird Walk and Talk "at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area. We will have 10-15 minute picture show on common birds then a thirty minute walk through a bird area of the park. The first sessions are scheduled for June 11 and I will report back on how they go.

Help with the organization of a bird festival, speak at a bird festival, lead bird tours, or do anything to help out. Form alliances with other like-minded organizations to achieve a more powerful voice, maybe Audubon groups, maybe even Ducks Unlimited or Pheasants Unlimited as much as that might bother some people.

Create a new position in SDOU - Public Relations person for SDOU to get the word out about SDOU and bird conservation issues. There must be someone in SDOU who has experience in public relations or is willing to learn and get some experience. Coordinate with the Membership Committee to help with recruiting new members, send out Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to radio and TV stations on conservation issues, etc. It seems obvious, but it's worth stating: if we don’t save birds we will not have any birds to observe and to study. Roger Dietrich Vol. 68 No. 2 page 31 June 2016 YardStuff Mick Zerr #2 — May 2016 here are many reasons why so many bird fanciers are involved in yard-birding. Many Tare psychological and many are also sociological. Here are four important ones. Emulation factor. For thousands of years, we have envied the abilities of birds, in some cases trying to copy them, mostly with little success. Birds are first of all, fliers. Fly- ing is associated with freedom, as well as a means of escaping bad things, whether it be predators or weather. Birds are singers and humans songs and instruments often mimic the songs of the birds, and finally, birds are beautiful. Their colors and shapes mesmerize us. We often name colors after those of birds, and study their shapes to copy for our automo- biles, ships, and aircraft. Not only bird shapes, but their speed, hunting abilities, mating habits, visual acuteness, and intelligence become part of, or inspiration for, our logos, including brand names and sports teams. Thirst for knowledge. It might start as a desire help the weak, or feed the hungry, or just to preserve something precious, but quickly a new birder starts to wonder about bird-related factors, such as migration, food and nesting, and climate/weather, etc. Soon books, computer applications, binoculars, and cameras appear to help satisfy this knowledge quest. This excitement is often passed on to children, inspiring in future adults more knowledge quests. The result is an appreciation for nature and an awareness of the fragili- ties of the natural environment. Association. Ancient cultures in most areas of the world developed a form of kinship with nature, and in many cases, with birds. Anthropomorphizing birds almost seems to be a cultural universality. “Spirit Birds” are found in ancient myths: bird gods, totemic birds and today, sports teams named for birds are all forms of association. When the time comes for birds to return in Spring, or during a fall migration, people with feeders get “Migration Association Anticipation”, which results in buying new field guides, feeders, binoculars or cameras. Window watching, poking your head out to look at the sky, putting a hand to an ear hoping for the sounds of migrating friends and buying seed become anticipation behaviors. Birds in the yard offer us a form of possession association, (my birds, my yard birds, my Cardinal, my yard count, etc.) It can apply to anyone, child or adult, especially in times of isolation during our long South Dakota winters. Many people feed birds just in the winter, since food is hard to come by and bird mortality can be high. It offers a feeling of ac- complishment, caring, and rescue. On a cold winter day, an excited child cries out, “Look Mom, out the window, our bird friends are at the feeders!”. This sharing may become a major factor later on in one’s “birding lifetime”, leading to interest in research, writing, or photography for the individual – all the result of sharing.

Self-actualization and happiness. In nursing homes, experiments have shown that a bird feeder/responsibility group had significantly higher perceived control, happiness and activity. Significant improvement was also found in nurses’ ratings of activity, happiness, alertness, sleeping time, complaints and sociability for the responsibility group. (Nursing Homes for the Birds: A Control- Relevant Intervention with Bird Feeders. The Gerontologist, 1983, Vol. 29, 527 – 531.) For all of us, the self-satisfaction of being able to name a bird by its color or identify or imitate its song, gives us great satisfaction.

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 32 June 2016 Fledgling Tracts Jason Thiele A Beginner's Guide to Birdspeak :Part V– Field Marks

n order to become a good birder, learning field marks is a must. There is some difference in opin- ion among birders as to just what exactly is consid- eredI a field mark, but I would say that a field mark is any characteristic of a bird that allows it to be identified without actually having it in the hand. In the earliest days of ornithology, birds were frequently killed for further study as museum specimens. While birders can be happy that those days are largely behind us, the efforts of those early collectors combined with the intensive in-the-field efforts of later generations of naturalists have made it possible to reliably identify most birds from a distance using field marks. The best way to study field marks is to get one of the various birding field guide books that are available for different parts of the world.

When you open up a field guide, you will generally see pictures and text descrip- tions of the various field marks that are particular to a species. Field marks can be colors, patterns, shapes of certain body parts, behaviors, and more. Below I will briefly describe a few of the common field marks you will see depicted in field guides and give some examples for further study. This is not a comprehensive list, and it cannot replace hours spent flipping through a field guide and observing live birds in the field.

Bill size/shape: The bill (you will find that birders seldom use the word “beak”) should always be one of the first features that a birder examines when a bird is spotted. The bill is generally one of the most telltale signs of a bird’s lifestyle and diet. For example, it should come as no surprise that raptors, such as the ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawk, use their sharply hooked bills for tearing flesh from prey. A few raptors have even more specialized bills, such as the Snail Kite of the Florida Ever- glades, which has a very long and thin hook on its bill that allows it to remove the fleshy foot from its snail prey. The various seed-eating birds, such as Purple Finch- es and Northern Cardinals, have relatively short, thick bills that provide the power necessary to crush seeds. One group of finches – the crossbills – have bills that make them especially efficient at eating seeds of conifer trees. A White-winged Crossbill, for example, can insert its uniquely shaped mandibles in between the scales of a spruce cone to twist them apart and then use its tongue to extract the seeds. Woodpeckers need their chisel-shaped bills to create nest cavities and to bore insects from wood. When you look at the bill on a Pileated Woodpecker, you

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 33 June 2016 have to almost feel sorry for any grub that thinks it’s safe inside a dead log. Some birds have bills that are so unique that they could hardly be confused with anything else. Examples of the downright weird bills of the bird world include that of the aptly-named Roseate Spoonbill, the fish-trapping bill of the Black Skimmer, which has a lower mandible that is longer than the upper, and the ridiculously long bill of the Sword-billed Hummingbird, which is longer than its body.

Legs/feet: Like the bill, the feet of a bird are often a key indicator of its lifestyle. A close look at the feet of different species will reveal a wide variety of different specializations. The Osprey has sharply curved talons that allow it to grasp and carry slippery fish. The Ostrich, being a flightless bird, has feet that are reduced to two toes, which function in much the same way as the hooves of running mam- mals such as deer. Snowy Owls have legs and toes that are covered with feathers to provide additional insulation from arctic winters. Wading birds, such as the Great Egret, have very long legs that allow them to hunt in relatively deep water without submerging themselves. Some of the most unique feet in the bird world are those of birds that swim. The Blue-winged Teal, for example, has webbed feet that provide propulsion in the water. Its feet are positioned forward on its body, which allows it to move well (albeit somewhat awkwardly) on the land as well. The diving ducks, such as the Canvasback, and other diving birds such as the Common Loon, also have webbed feet, but their feet are closer to the rear of the body. This is an advantage in the water but a handicap on land. Perhaps my favorite bird feet are the lobed toes found on some swimming birds like the Pied-billed Grebe and American Coot. Unfortunately, these birds don’t leave the water all that often, so their unique toes are seldom seen.

Wing shape: The vast majority of birds can fly, and flight requires wings. It doesn’t take long for a person observing birds to realize that birds vary greatly in their flight styles and abilities. Since birds are often seen in the air, learning to recognize wing shapes is extremely important for field identification. Some of the most aero- batic birds are those that catch prey on the wing. Many of the aerial foragers have swept-back, pointed wings, which provide great speed without compromising agil- ity too much. The fastest animal in the world, the Peregrine Falcon, has this wing shape, as do some of the graceful aerial insectivores such as the Barn Swallow and the Chimney Swift. Birds that spend much time in the air soaring tend to have relatively long and broad wings, which provide a great deal of lift. This wing shape can be found on birds such as Bald Eagles, Broad-winged Hawks, and American White Pelicans. Under the right conditions, these birds can soar for great distances with very little flapping. I’ve mentioned several species of raptors already in this paragraph, and wing shape is an especially important field mark for many birds of prey. I’ve already mentioned the pointed, high-speed wings of falcons and the long, broad, soaring wings of many hawks and eagles, but another common wing

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 34 June 2016 shape among raptors are the short, rounded wings found on many of the smaller, often forest-dwelling hawks such as Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper’s Hawks. Wings like these provide short bursts of great speed and great maneuverability through thick cover. Some birds, such as Turkey Vultures and Swainson’s Hawks, soar with their wings held in a “V” shape, or dihedral, which can be a very useful field mark from a distance. Even flightless birds can have very functional wings. The various species of penguins, though flightless, have flipper-shaped wings that effectively allow them to “fly” through the water rather than through the air in a very graceful fashion.

Stripes: Few field marks are as distinctive as a pattern of stripes on a bird. On some birds, stripes serve to break up their outline and make them more difficult to spot. A prime example is the American Bittern, whose brown vertical stripes make it blend in very well with the cattail marshes where it nests. Other striped birds seem to be begging for attention with their bold patterns. One of my favorite spring migrants is the Black-and-White Warbler, whose plumage would make it the perfect candidate to be the referee for an avian sporting event. And on other birds, stripes may not be the most prominent field mark, but they still provide useful identification clues. For example, the striped head of a Whimbrel is a useful field mark for separating it from similar shorebird species.

Spots: Stripes aren’t the only color pattern in the avian wardrobe. Many species have spots in their plumage. As with stripes, spots can be subtle or bold, but they are often very good field marks. One of the more difficult groups of birds to identify in North America are the thrushes. Many thrushes have spots, and these spots are often key to separating one species from another. For example, the Wood Thrush has much larger and darker spots than a Hermit Thrush, whose spots are in turn bolder than those of a Swainson’s Thrush or Gray-cheeked Thrush. The Veery has fewer and fainter spots on its breast than any of the previously mentioned thrush species. A few other examples of birds with spots are the Brown Thrasher, Solitary Sandpiper, Northern Flicker, and Spotted Towhee.

Wingbars/wing patches: My very first time birding with expert birders, I spotted a bird that no one in the group could identify immediately, mostly because it was moving around in thick brush and not giving us a good look. However, it was from listening to the experienced birders in the crowd talk through the ID that I learned about two of the most common field marks to search for on a bird: wingbars (or wing patches) and eyerings (discussed below). Many birds, especially songbirds, have one, two, or more bars on their wings. For example, the Blackpoll Warbler has two simple white wingbars on each wing, while the Golden-winged Warbler has two thick, bright yellow wingbars that often look like a yellow patch on the males. The Black-throated Blue Warbler has a very small white patch on each wing. As

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 35 June 2016 it turns out, the bird that I had spotted, an Orange-crowned Warbler, did not have wingbars at all, but sometimes the absence of a field mark can also be a useful identification clue. Sometimes wing markings are clearly visible in flight, such as the wing patches on a Common Nighthawk. These can make some birds identifi- able even at a great distance.

Eyerings: Another field mark that I learned to look for during my first group birding experience is an eyering. Many birds have feathers or skin around the eye that create a ring. Like other field marks, eyerings come in many varieties. And eyering may be a complete circle, such as the white ring around the eye of a Least Flycatcher or the bold red ring around the eye of a male Wood Duck. It can also be “broken,” such as the crescents above and below the eye of a MacGillivray’s Warbler. Sometimes eyerings even take on the shape of “spectacles,” as seen on a Blue-headed Vireo or a Yellow-breasted Chat.

Behavior: Maybe the most overlooked field marks (which some birders might not consider to be field marks) are behaviors. Some birds have specific behaviors that are extremely useful in separating them from similar species, especially under poor viewing conditions. For example, the Eastern Phoebe looks similar to many other birds in the flycatcher family, but it has a habit of nearly constantly wag- ging its tail back and forth. The Spotted Sandpiper does a distinctive “butt-bob” as it walks. Hermit Thrushes will often raise and lower their tails, unlike other similar thrushes. One of my nemesis birds that I mentioned in the previous issue is the Connecticut Warbler, which looks quite similar to the Mourning Warbler. However, the Connecticut Warbler walks along the ground, while the Mourning Warbler hops. And I often spot one of the best-camouflaged birds in the world, the Brown Creeper, due to its tendency to fly to the base of a tree and work its way up the trunk while searching for insects.

Some species have one field mark that is so unique that once you get even a brief glimpse of it, you can be quite confident of the ID. Other birds have a variety of subtle field marks and require close scrutiny to separate them from similar species. With practice, identifying birds becomes far less intimidating than it can seem at first.

LBJ

If you hear a birder say these three letters, chances are he/she is not referring to the man who succeeded JFK as President of the United States. Instead, these three letters stand for “little brown job,” and the abbreviation refers to a variety of small brown birds, especially sparrows, that all look alike to the casual observer. LBJs are great examples of why studying field marks is so important.

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 36 June 2016 To a person who has never paid attention to birds, three common sparrows of South Dakota – the Song Sparrow, the Field Sparrow, and the Savannah Sparrow – may look like the same species. But a look at some key field marks (or a study of their songs and calls, as mentioned in the first article in this series) will soon reveal that not all LBJs are alike. Just within this group of three example species, there are distinct differences. The Field Sparrow has a small pink bill, an unspot- ted and unstreaked breast, a white eyering, and a reddish crown. In contrast, the Savannah Sparrow has a streaked breast and a small yellow patch in front of the eye. The Song Sparrow is generally darker in color than the other two species. It has a streaked breast somewhat similar to a Savannah Sparrow but with a distinct spot as well.

C A B

D E F

Are you able to ID a bird Family by shape? Try these. And perhaps help a child learn with them.

A.______B.______C.______D.______E.______F.______Vol. 68 No. 2 page 37 June 2016 Seasonal Reports The 2015-2016 Winter Season Compiled By: Jeffrey S. Palmer 01 December 2015 to 29 February 2016 College of Arts & Sciences Dakota State University Madison, SD 57042

here were 140 species, including 6 rarities, reported during the season this year. The ten-year (2005-2014) average is 141. Below, I have tried to highlight the more significant sightings T(species that have been reported in 6 or fewer of the last 10 winter seasons, early/late dates, and species that are out of range). Finally, at the end is a list of species (27) that were not reported this year and might be expected during the Winter Season. A species is placed on the list if it was not reported this year but had been reported during winter in at least 2 of the previous 5 years. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of consecutive years (up to 4) that the species has appeared on the list during the season. Not reported during the Winter Season during the last 5 years, Barn Owl and Great-tailed Grackle were removed from this list.

Greater White-fronted Goose reported 10 Dec Stanley RDO; 20 Dec Yankton MKZ, KP; 01 Jan Charles Mix RM, KP; 19 Feb Charles Mix RM; 20 Feb Minnehaha MKZ; 26 Feb Brown GO; 26 Feb Lincoln MKZ Snow Goose reported 03 Dec Pennington CLG; 18 Dec Lincoln MKZ; 20 Dec Yankton MKZ, KP; 02 Jan Lyman RSL; 18 Feb Douglas KP; 19 Feb Clay DS; 20 Feb Charles Mix KP, RM; 20 Feb Gregory RM; 20 Feb Hughes KM Ross’s Goose reported 11 Jan Pennington CLG; 21 Jan Pennington CLG; 14 Feb Sully RDO; 21 Feb McCook JC Cackling Goose reported 28 Dec Grant BP; 01 Jan Hughes BP; 01 Jan Stanley RDO, BP; 11 Jan Pennington CLG; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 21 Jan Pennington CLG; 22 Jan Stanley RDO; 20 Feb Brown BP Tundra Swan Only Report: 02 Dec Day WS Wood Duck reported 01 Jan Brown GO; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 07 Jan Hughes RDO; 23 Jan Hughes RDO; 01 Feb Brown GO; 27 Feb Lawrence ND Gadwall reported 25 Dec Stanley RDO; 11 Jan Pennington CLG; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 21 Jan Pennington CLG; 19 Feb Charles Mix RM; 20 Feb Lake JSP American Wigeon reported 01 Jan Stanley BP; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 11 Jan Pennington CLG; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 19 Feb Charles Mix RM; 20 Feb Lake JSP Blue-winged Teal Only Report: 02 Dec Gregory RM Northern Shoveler Only Report: 27 Feb Charles Mix KP Northern Pintail reported 09 Dec Marshall GO; 02 Jan Hughes RDO; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 10 Jan Lyman RDO; 19 Feb Charles Mix RM; 21 Feb Hughes KM; 27 Feb Brown GO; 27 Feb Douglas KP; 27 Feb Lake JSP; 27 Feb Lincoln CA, JC, MKZ; 27 Feb Meade ND; 27 Feb Minnehaha CA, JC Green-winged Teal reported 20 Dec Pennington JLB; 25 Dec Gregory RM; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 27 Feb Charles Mix KP; 27 Feb Kingsbury JSP; 27 Feb Meade ND Canvasback reported 07 Dec Pennington CLG; 16 Dec Stanley RDO; 25 Dec Gregory RM; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 19 Feb Charles Mix RM; 20 Feb Lake JSP; 27 Feb Meade ND Redhead reported 03 Dec Minnehaha MKZ; 07 Jan Stanley RDO; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 29 Jan Charles Mix RM; 19 Feb Gregory RM; 20 Feb Lake JSP Ring-necked Duck reported 25 Dec Gregory RM; 07 Jan Hughes RDO; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 23 Jan Hughes RDO; 19 Feb Charles Mix RM; 27 Feb Lake JSP Greater Scaup reported 02 Jan Hughes RDO; 07 Jan Stanley RDO; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 16 Jan Pennington RSL Lesser Scaup reported 03 Dec Pennington CLG; 09 Dec Marshall GO; 07 Jan Stanley RDO; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 13 Jan Charles Mix KP; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 20 Feb Lake JSP Vol. 68 No. 2 page 38 June 2016 Long-tailed Duck reported 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP Bufflehead reported 24 Dec Gregory RM; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 30 Jan Gregory JSP; 24 Feb Lake JSP Common Goldeneye reported 03 Dec Minnehaha MKZ; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 16 Jan Lyman BP; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 20 Feb Lake JSP Hooded Merganser reported 20 Dec Pennington JLB; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 06 Jan Day WS; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 16 Jan Lyman BP; 23 Jan Hughes RDO; 06 Feb Pennington RSL Common Merganser reported 13 Dec Edmunds BP; 11 Jan Pennington GCL; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 16 Jan Lyman BP; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 20 Feb Lake JSP; 20 Feb McCook JC Red-breasted Merganser reported 01 Jan Stanley RDO, KM; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 15 Jan Hughes KM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP; 30 Jan Hughes KM Ruddy Duck reported 02 Dec Day WS; 20 Dec Yankton KP, DS; 20 Feb Lake JSP Gray Partridge All Reports: 04 Dec Charles Mix RM; 13 Dec Custer MMM; 20 Dec Meade RSL; 27 Dec Pennington RSL; 02 Jan Charles Mix RM Ruffed Grouse All Reports: 13 Dec Lawrence DGP; 01 Jan Lawrence SW; 21 Jan Lawrence DGP; 15 Feb Lawrence EK; 22 Feb Lawrence SW; 26 Feb Lawrence SW Common Loon All Reports: 12 Dec Sully RSL; 20 Dec Yankton DS, KP Pied-billed Grebe reported 20 Dec Pennington JLB; 08 Dec Fall River ND Horned Grebe All Reports: 05 Dec Lyman JSP; 08 Dec Fall River ND Western Grebe All Reports: 05 Dec Pennington JLB; 07 Dec Pennington CLG; 13 Dec Stanley RDO; 01 Jan Sully RDO; 22 Jan Stanley RDO Double-crested Cormorant reported 25 Dec Lyman RDO; 22 Dec Charles Mix RM; 18 Dec Gregory RM Great Blue Heron reported 05 Dec Roberts CV; 04 Jan Pennington CLG; 21 Jan Pennington CLG Bald Eagle reported 01 Jan Gregory (93) KP Northern Harrier reported 02 Jan Hughes KM; 09 Jan Butte ND; 15 Jan Pennington ND; 17 Jan Pennington RSL; 31 Jan Lawrence EK; 14 Feb Harding CEM; 15 Feb Sully KM; 27 Feb Brown GO; 27 Feb Kingsbury JSP; 27 Feb Lincoln MKZ Northern Goshawk reported 02 Jan Brown GO; 09 Jan Edmunds BP; 10 Jan Hughes KM; 30 Jan Brown BP, CV, GO; 31 Jan Hughes KM Ferruginous Hawk reported 03 Jan Stanley KM; 09 Jan Jones RDO; 13 Jan Harding CEM; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 16 Jan Lawrence RSL; 16 Jan Lyman BP; 17 Jan Harding CEM; 17 Jan Hughes RDO; 17 Jan Sully BP Golden Eagle reported 18 Jan Edmunds BP; 01 Feb McPherson GO American Coot reported 13 Dec Brown BP; 07 Jan Hughes RDO; 11 Jan Yankton GJS; 14 Jan Pennington JLB; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 23 Jan Hughes RDO; 31 Jan Stanley RDO Killdeer reported 11 Jan Pennington CLG; 21 Jan Pennington CLG; 27 Feb Kingsbury JSP; 27 Feb Minnehaha CA, JC Wilson’s Snipe All Reports: 02 Dec Meade EEM; 20 Dec Yankton KP; 16 Jan Lawrence RSL Bonaparte’s Gull reported 05 Dec Buffalo JSP; 25 Dec Lyman RDO; 04 Jan Charles Mix RM Franklin’s Gull reported 02 Dec Charles Mix RM; 15 Dec Stanley RDO; 26 Jan Gregory RM; 29 Jan Charles Mix RM Ring-billed Gull reported 08 Dec Fall River ND; 26 Dec Stanley RDO; 13 Jan Hughes RDO; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP, RM; 17 Jan Hughes RDO; 04 Feb Gregory RM California Gull reported 19 Dec Stanley RDO; 13 Jan Hughes RDO; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP et el; 17 Jan Hughes RDO; 29 Feb Stanley RDO Herring Gull reported 12 Jan Gregory RM; 13 Jan Hughes RDO; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP, RM; 17 Jan Hughes RDO; 01 Feb Gregory RM Thayer’s Gull reported 26 Dec Stanley RDO; 01 Jan Hughes BP; 13 Jan Charles Mix KP; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP, RM; 23 Jan Hughes RDO Iceland Gull Only Report: 31 Jan Hughes RDO Lesser Black-backed Gull reported 17 Dec Charles Mix RM; 19 Dec Stanley RDO; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP, RM Vol. 68 No. 2 page 39 June 2016 Glaucous Gull reported 12 Jan Gregory RM; 13 Jan Hughes RDO; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM Great Black-backed Gull All Reports: 12 Jan Gregory RM; 15 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Charles Mix BP, KP, RM Mourning Dove reported 10 Dec Meade EEM; 02 Jan Lincoln JC, CA; 08 Jan Clay GJS; 15 Jan Roberts CV; 16 Jan Kingsbury JSP; 16 Jan Roberts CV; 31 Jan Pennington RSL; 02 Feb Clay GJS Eastern Screech-Owl reported 19 Dec Brown BP; 19 Dec Minnehaha CA; 19 Dec Stanley RDO, KM; 20 Dec Pennington ND, JLB; 09 Jan Lincoln JC, CA; 30 Jan Stanley RDO; 05 Feb Turner KP Snowy Owl reported 10 Jan Stanley RDO; 12 Jan Harding CEM; 13 Jan McPherson and Edmunds GO; 14 Jan Brown GO, CV; 16 Jan Lyman KM, RDO; 17 Jan Hughes BP; 18 Jan Edmunds and Faulk BP; 20 Jan Harding CEM Barred Owl Only Report: 19 Dec Minnehaha CA Long-eared Owl reported 19 Dec Stanley KM; 03 Jan Sully KM; 29 Jan Stanley KM; 31 Jan Lawrence EK; 14 Feb Hughes RDO Short-eared Owl reported 30 Dec Jackson ND; 15 Jan Harding CEM; 15 Jan Pennington ND; 21 Feb Butte SW; 28 Feb Harding CEM Northern Saw-whet Owl reported 20 Dec Pennington ND; 08 Jan Stanley KM; 09 Jan Lincoln JC, CA; 23 Jan Sully KM; 24 Jan Hughes KM; 29 Jan Stanley KM; 27 Feb Harding CEM Belted Kingfisher reported 29 Dec Minnehaha JC; 02 Jan Hughes RDO; 04 Jan Pennington CLG; 21 Jan Pennington CLG; 27 Feb Lawrence ND Lewis’s Woodpecker All Reports: 24 Dec Lawrence and Meade JLB; 16 Jan Lawrence RSL Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Only Report: 18 Dec Charles Mix RM American Three-toed Woodpecker reported 19 Jan Lawrence DGP; 12 Feb Lawrence DGP Black-backed Woodpecker All Reports: 19 Dec Meade ND; 23 Jan Lawrence DGP; 21 Feb Custer RDO; 26 Feb Lawrence SW; 28 Feb Lawrence DGP Pileated Woodpecker All Reports: 06 Feb Day CV; 11 Feb Day WS Merlin reported 30 Dec Jackson ND; 10 Jan Lyman RDO; 13 Jan Brown BP; 13 Jan McPherson GO; 16 Jan Kingsbury JSP; 20 Jan Douglas KP; 23 Jan Hughes KM; 13 Feb Pennington ND Gyrfalcon reported 03 Jan Jones RDO; 03 Jan Stanley KM; 09 Jan Butte ND, JLB; 12 Jan Harding CEM; 22 Jan Harding CEM; 31 Jan Stanley RDO Pinyon Jay Only Report: 21 Feb Custer RDO Black-billed Magpie reported 13 Dec Lyman CA, JC; 25 Dec Lyman RDO; 10 Jan Lyman RDO; 17 Jan Walworth BP Red-breasted Nuthatch reported 12 Dec Stanley KM; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 14 Jan Brown GO, CV; 30 Jan Hughes RDO; 16 Feb Brown GO Pygmy Nuthatch All Reports: 14 Dec Pennington CLG; 20 Dec Pennington JLB; 22 Dec Pennington JLB; 30 Jan Pennington RSL; 12 Feb Pennington ND; 21 Feb Custer RDO Winter Wren All Reports: 18 Dec Stanley KM; 26 Dec Stanley KM; 02 Jan Stanley KM; 15 Jan Stanley KM Carolina Wren Only Report: 20 Dec Yankton DS, KP Eastern Bluebird reported 01 Jan Hughes RDO, KM, BP; 04 Jan Yankton JC; 29 Jan Gregory RM; 18 Feb Charles Mix RM Mountain Bluebird Only Report: 27 Feb Pennington RSL Townsend’s Solitaire reported 19 Dec Brown GO; 28 Jan Brown GO; 15 Feb Union DS Hermit Thrush Only Report: 19 Dec Brown BP Bohemian Waxwing reported 13 Jan Brown GO; 30 Jan Brown BP, CV, GO; 27 Feb Lawrence DGP; 27 Feb Lincoln MKZ Yellow-rumped Warbler All Reports: 02 Jan Lincoln CA, JC; 30 Jan Charles Mix JSP; 15 Feb Union DS Fox Sparrow Only Report: 03 Dec Brown GO Song Sparrow All Reports: 19 Dec Brown BP; 19 Dec Lawrence JLB White-throated Sparrow All Reports: 19 Dec Brown BP; 10 Jan Hughes KM Harris’s Sparrow reported 19 Dec Brown BP; 01 Jan Clay GJS; 02 Jan Lincoln JC, CA; 02 Feb Clay GJS Northern Cardinal reported 30 Dec Jackson ND; 13 Jan Pennington JLB; 06 Feb Tripp RDO Red-winged Blackbird reported 19 Dec Brown BP; 04 Jan Clay JC; 06 Jan Stanley RDO; 10 Jan Hughes KM; 16 Jan Aurora BP; 16 Jan Butte RSL; 08 Feb Clay GJS

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 40 June 2016 Western Meadowlark reported 03 Jan Douglas KP; 09 Jan Butte ND, JLB; 10 Jan Stanley and Lyman RDO; 13 Jan Charles Mix RM; 16 Jan Union DS; 27 Jan Codington BP; 30 Jan Hughes KM, RDO Yellow-headed Blackbird Only Report: 13 Dec Stanley RDO Rusty Blackbird All Reports: 01 Dec Clay DS; 09 Dec Marshall GO Common Grackle All Reports: 02 Dec Stanley RDO; 27 Dec Turner KP; 31 Dec Day BP; 01 Feb Butte ND; 20 Feb Stanley RDO Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Only Report: 12 Dec Lawrence ND Pine Grosbeak reported 14 Jan Brown GO, CV; 14 Jan Douglas KP; 15 Jan Stanley KM; 26 Jan Brown GO; 06 Feb Sully KM; 15 Feb Douglas KP; 19 Feb Harding CEM Red Crossbill reported 01 Feb Brown GO Common Redpoll reported 09 Jan Butte ND, JLB; 14 Jan Charles Mix RM; 15 Jan Roberts CV; 15 Jan Stanley KM; 16 Jan Lawrence EK; 16 Jan Roberts CV; 17 Jan Hughes RDO Pine Siskin reported 10 Jan Stanley RDO; 11 Jan Pennington ND; 14 Jan Edmunds GO, CV; 14 Jan Lake JSP; 15 Jan Roberts CV; 16 Jan Douglas BP, KP; 16 Jan Kingsbury JSP; 16 Jan Pennington RSL; 16 Jan Roberts CV; 17 Jan Hughes RDO Evening Grosbeak Only Report: 18 Jan Lawrence DGP

Reports Requiring Acceptance By The Rare Bird Records Committee Brant 28 Feb Sully KM Turkey Vulture 18 Dec Charles Mix RM Pacific Wren 31 Dec Pennington RSL Ruby-crowned Kinglet 14 Dec – 15 Feb Pennington CLG, ND, JLB Vesper Sparrow 19 Dec Stanley RDO Chestnut-collared Longspur 28 Feb Roberts (6) CV

Species Expected But Not Reported Trumpeter Swan, American Black Duck (2), White-winged Scoter (2), Barrow’s Goldeneye (2), Northern Bobwhite (3), Red-necked Grebe (2), Eared Grebe (3), American White Pelican, Virginia Rail (2), Sandhill Crane, Black-legged Kittiwake (4), Mew Gull (3), Red-headed Woodpecker (3), Peregrine Falcon (2), Clark’s Nutcracker, Marsh Wren (2), Varied Thrush, Brown Thrasher (2), Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow (4), Swamp Sparrow (3), White-crowned Sparrow, Brewer’s Blackbird (2), Brown-headed Cowbird (2), Cassin’s Finch, White-winged Crossbill (3)

Contributing Observers

CA Chris Anderson GO Gary Olson JLB Jocelyn L. Baker RDO Ricky D. Olson JC Joe Coppock JSP Jeffrey S. Palmer ND Nancy Drilling BP Barry Parkin CLG Canyon Lake Group KP Kelly M. Preheim TJ Todd Jensen DGP D. George Prisbe EK Elizabeth Krueger GJS Gary & Jan Small RSL Richard S. Latuchie WS Waubay NWR Staff RM Ron Mabie OCW Outdoor Campus West Survey MMM Michael M. Melius DS David Swanson CEM Charlie Miller CV Cheryl Vellenga EEM Ernest E. Miller SW Scott Weins KM Kenny Miller MRZ Mick Zerr

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 41 June 2016 SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE REPORT – 2016

he Alfred Hinds Memorial Award for Ornithology, established in 1983, is presented to a deserving individual, student, or organization/agency that has made a significant Tcontribution to the advancement of ornithology in South Dakota. This year, the award of $100 will be granted to Kelly Preheim, an SDOU member who as a Kindergarten teacher in Armour teaches her students about birds throughout the school year. She has had phenomenal success doing this. As a group her classes have been able to identify over 400 bird species and know approximately 100 bird songs. They go on outings, have participated in bird banding and have even been the subject of a film being produced by filmmaker Timothy Barksdale. Kelly has created so much interest in birds that she sponsors a bird group called the Chickadee Club for former students in grades one through three. Kelly will put the award to good use by purchasing reading materials and posters for her classroom bird center.

The Mary E. Baylor Memorial Scholarship is presented to a South Dakota sophomore or junior college or university undergraduate student. A biology major with a particular interest in ornithology, ecology, wildlife management, biological education or medicine is a requirement. The recipient of this year’s $1200 scholarship is Nicholas Antonson, a student in his junior year at Augustana University. Nicholas is majoring in biology and secondary education with the goal of teaching science at the high school level. He then hopes to go on to a graduate program in avian behavior and evolution. According to his nominating Professor Dr. Amy R. Lewis (a former Husmann scholarship winner) Nicholas’ dream project for graduate school is "to utilize characteristics of behavior to shed light on some of the trickier parts of avian evolution and taxonomy”.

First awarded in 1989, the Kenneth H. Husmann Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a graduate student majoring in ornithology, ecology or wildlife management at a South Dakota university. Kassie Hendricks, who is pursuing a Master’s Degree at South Dakota State University and Dakota State University, is this year’s recipient of the $1,000 scholarship. She was nominated by Dr. Charles D. Dieter, her Major Advisor of South Dakota State University, with support from Dr. Kristel K. Bakker of Dakota State University, her Thesis Advisor. Dr. Dieter in his nomination letter stated that Kassie has been working on a grassland bird project in which she has been monitoring and evaluating census techniques for bird species of concern in central and western South Dakota. This is an important study as grassland birds are declining due to habitat loss. The information that Kassie gathers will ultimately be important to wildlife managers who monitor grassland bird trends.

The Scholarships and Awards committee and SDOU members congratulate all three of these recipients on their scholastic achievements.

Jocelyn Baker (chairperson), Nelda Holden, Galen Steffen

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 42 June 2016 Book Review Douglas Chapman

HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD, Special Volume: Bird Families of the World. J. del Hoyo, A. Elliot, J. Sargatal, and D. Cristie, Eds. (2013). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Cloth, $97.22. (www.hbw.com.) 602 pp. hen the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions of Barcelona announced they would be publishing a grand series of books titled Handbook of the Birds of the World, with detailed study and illustrations of all the birds of the world, most of usW had not even heard of the internet. A smart phone was one which when it rang, you an- swered. And no one could have known how this series would impact the study of ornithology and the world of the birder over the following 24 years. Yes, it has been twenty-four years! After eighteen volumes about birds in tremendous detail, never forgetting their special ap- peal for beauty and mystery, this volume completes this Herculean task.

Dan Tallman has reviewed each and every one of the previous eighteen volumes of this work. I think they should be gleaned from SD Bird Notes and packaged as a pamphlet. With Dan’s permission I will do so. (Search on sdou.org for HBW or Lynx to read them all.)

The series has been in progress for so long that the avian taxonomic order has changed (by several differing sources and many times). They foresaw this and formed their own taxonomy of the birds of the world and have kept to it. Other taxonomic lists include Clements (followed by SDOU), which lists 237 families; the newer (and more inclined to splitting) International Ornithological Congress lists 242 families and The Handbook of the Birds of the World lists 245 families. Recently, a move to make things both less complicated and to allow for more variation in an avian species, instead of speciation, has been proposed. Dr. Vladimir Dinets of the University of Tennessee proposes an avian family list of 64 families (Dinets 2014).

These books are very dense, large format and heavy. The heaviest is 13 lbs. and the lightest is 8.5 lbs. (I just weighed them).

The Volumes cover material as follows: I. Ostriches to Ducks XIV. Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows II. New World Vultures to Guineafowl XV. Weavers to New World Warblers III. Hoatzin to Auks XVI. Tanagers to New World Blackbirds IV. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos XVII. New Species and Global Checklist. V. Barn Owls to Hummingbirds There are also volumes VI. Mousebirds to Hornbills The Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World VII. Jacamars to Woodpeckers Vols. I & II (pub. date: 12/16) VIII. Broadbills to Tapaculos and IX. Cotingas to Wagtails The Bird Families of the World. X. Cuckoo-shrikes to Thrushes XI. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers XII. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees XIII. Penduline-tits to Shrikes

Vol. 68 No. 2, No. 4 page 43 June 2016 Dan has asked me to review this final installment and I am very honored. Dan knows, as do most of you, that I really enjoy the study of bird families and the various familial relationships: plumage, behavior and habitat requirement. As more study about bird relationships is made available, we learn that sometimes jarring differences within families is shown. DNA evidence has produced information that several birds thought to be in the same family are not even distantly related (Madagascar Starling, Gill et al. 2016), while it has confirmed others (Yellow-breasted Chatis indeed a warbler, Earley, 2003).

This volume costs much less than most of the others, but is no less lavish It is thoughtful and profusely illustrated with charts, maps, photos and paintings. It opens with a quite sci- entifically important essay: Exploring the Spectacular Diversity of Birds. This is followed by meticulous presentation of the families, introduced by the Order in which the family is known. (Hoatzin is both a single family AND a single Order.)

Each family is given a great deal of space for photos, illustrations painted by a team of internationally famous bird artists and detail after detail of relevant information as to what makes the family unique. Each family has a series of sections to make comparisons relatively easy: Related Families, Similar Birds, Description, Habitat, Food, Breeding, Conservation, Relationships. A colored range map is included for the entire family as well. Each genus within the family is illustrated with one member and concludes with the number of species found in that genus.

Most of the time classification of avian species is straightforward: Columbidae (doves and pigeons) or Kingfishers are mostly easy to separate in the field. Many other birds are much more difficult and have stumped taxonomers for decades. I will include one example of a “new” family, one that I have seen, the Melampittidae. This small family consists of two species in two genera: Greater Melampitta and Lesser Melampitta. For decades these two small, glossy jet black birds were in the Paradisaeidae, the Birds of Paradise. Endemic to New Guinea, they seemed small versions of the much more colorful and flamboyant “el- egant crows” of this family. Presently the Clements taxonomic checklist, which is followed by SDOU, still assigns these birds to Paradisaeidae, making them Birds of Paradise. The IOC taxonomic checklist before 2015 listed these birds as incertae sedis (unknown place), but now has placed them in the new family Melampittidae mentioned above. HBW also places them in this new family. The daunting complexity of assigning birds to families may be summed up best by a short quote from the Melampittidae “Relationships” abstract.

Melampittidae is part of the corvoid radiation of oscine passerines. The two species in this family have always been a challenge to classify, having variously been placed in different families, including Timaliidae [old world babblers, 310 species] and Orthonychi- dae [logrunners, 3 species] (Schodde & Christidis 2014). Recent studies based on DNA sequence data have started to clarify the position of Melampittidae, with several studies placing it deep within the “crown corvoids” (Barker et al. 2004, Reddy & Cracraft 2007, Irestedt et al. 2008), sister either to Corcoracidae [Australian mudnesters, 2 species] (Reddy & Cracraft 2007) or to Paradisaeidae [Birds of Paradise, 42 species] (Jønsson et al. 2011), or sister to the clade made up of Paradisaeidae and Corcoracidae together (Aggerbeck et al. 2014).

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 44 June 2016 This information is nearly all from just the Lesser Melampitta. The nest of the Greater Melampitta has yet to be discovered, so very little is known of its behavior. Who knows what changes may then occur?

Considering all the information—complex or relatively straightforward—it is difficult to not be swept up in this book, especially if one enjoys bird groupings, whereby any number of criteria are observed: plumage, courtship, nesting, habitat, foraging, flight patterns and many more.

Even if you skipped the enormous commitment to all the 18 volumes previous, (at a cost of upwards of $4000.00!), this $100 book should be in every bird lover’s home library.

Bird families have, over my years of enjoying and observing birds, become more and more important to me. Learning to recognize families is one of the best ways for an experienced birder to identify quickly what bird is in the binoculars.

LITERATURE CITED Aggerbeck, M., Fjeldså, J., Christidis, L., Fabre, P.H., Jønsson, K.A. (2014). Resolving deep lineage divergences in core corvoid passerine birds supports a proto-Papuan is- land origin. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 70: 272-285. Barker, F.K., Cibopis, A., Schikler, P., Feinstein, J. & Cracraft, J. (2004). Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101(30): 11040-11045 Clements, J. F., Schulenberg, T.S., Iliff, M.J., Roberson, D., Fredericks, T.A., Sullivan, B.L., and Wood, C.L.. (2015). The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015. Retrieved from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Dinets, V. (2014). Why avian systematics are no longer scientific.SD Bird Notes 66 (1): 26. Earley, C. (2003). Warblers of the Great Lakes Region and Eastern North America 104. Gill, F & Donsker , D.(Eds). (2016). IOC World Bird List (v 6.2). doi: 0.14344/IOC.ML. 6.2. Retrieved 5/13/16. Irestedt, M., Fuchs, J., Jønsson, K.A., Ohlson, J.I., Pasquet, E. & Ericson, P.G. (2008). The systematic affinity of the enigmaticLamprolia victoriae (Aves: Passeriformes)–an example of avian dispersal between New Guinea and Fiji over Miocene intermittent land bridges? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48(3): 1218-1222. Jønsson, K.A., Fabre, P.H., Ricklefs, R.E. & Fjeldså, J. (2011). Major global radiation of corvoid birds originated in the proto-Papuan archipelago. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(6): 2328-2333. Reddy, S. & Cracraft, J. (2007). Old World shrike-babblers (Pteruthius) belong with New World vireos (Vireonidae). Molecular Phylogenics and Evolution 44(3): 1352-1357. Schodde, R. & Christidis, L. (2014). Relicts from Tertiary Australasia: undescribed families and subfamilies of songbirds (Passeriformes) and their zoogeograpjic signal. Zoo- taxa 3786: 502-522.

Vol. 68 No. 2 page 45 June 2016 SDOU 2016 Spring Meeting IN Oacoma by Rosemary Draeger ed Knot was a life bird for a sizeable number of folks at the SDOU Spring Meeting, held May 13-15, 2016 at Cedar Shore Resort, across the Missouri River from Cham- Rberlain. Activities for more than fifty attendees included field trips both Saturday and Sun- day and speakers’ presentations on both evenings. Dan Svingen, District Ranger, Ft. Pierre National Grasslands, spoke Friday after supper on the myriad complexities of managing native grasslands for continued thriving for future generations, and also to provide support for grassland bird species, some of which are en- dangered or declining in numbers due to loss of adequate habitat. Our Saturday evening banquet speaker was Jerry Toll, raptor banding leader at Hitchcock Nature Center in Iowa, who spoke about the remarkable raptor migration that occurs every fall, September through December, through the Loess Hills and adjacent Missouri River valley as thousands of raptors head south for the winter. He also introduced us to the Hitch- cock Nature Center’s various HawkWatch activities available during the migration period and shared some of his raptor banding experiences. Both of these evening programs were fascinating and informative. Thank you to both Dan Svingen and Jerry Toll for the thoughtful presentations. Thanks also goes to our field trip leaders for the weekend, Doug Chapman, Ricky Olson, and Scott Stolz. A complete species list follows this report. The grand total for field trips was 178 species. Highlights in addition to the Red Knot included a pair of Black-necked Stilts, over a dozen Black-bellied Plover and sixty or more American Golden Plover, American Avocets, Rud- dy Turnstone, Stilt Sandpipers, a singing Eastern Meadowlark, dozens of Hudsonian and Marbled godwits, seventeen species of warbler, including Magnolia and Chestnut-sided, as well as a very close American Bittern, Veery, and a secluded area that sported a dozen Swainson's Thrushes. The SDOU board met on Saturday afternoon and conducted normal business, no surprises. Minutes of the meeting and the financial report are posted on the website for SDOU members to view. Altogether it was a fine weekend of birding, enjoying friends from around the state and extended region, and learning new things about grasslands and raptor migration.

SDOU 2016 Spring Meeting Oacoma Species List Canada Goose Ruddy Duck Great Egret Wood Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Snowy Egret Gadwall Sharp-tailed Grouse Cattle Egret American Wigeon Greater Prairie Chicken Green Heron Mallard Wild Turkey White-faced Ibis Blue-winged Teal Common Loon Turkey Vulture Northern Shoveler Pied-billed Grebe Bald Eagle Northern Pintail Horned Grebe Cooper’s Hawk Green-winged Teal Eared Grebe Swainson’s Hawk Canvasback Western Grebe Sora Redhead American White Pelican American Coot Lesser Scaup Double-crested Cormorant Black-bellied Plover Hooded Merganser American Bittern American Golden-Plover Bufflehead Great Blue Heron Semipalmated Plover Vol. 68 No. 2 page 46 June 2016 Killdeer Western Kingbird Mourning Warbler Black-necked Stilt Eastern Kingbird MacGillivray's Warbler American Avocet Loggerhead Shrike Common Yellowthroat Spotted Sandpiper Bell’s Vireo Spotted Towhee Solitary Sandpiper Blue-headed Vireo Chipping Sparrow Greater Yellowlegs Warbling Vireo Clay-colored Sparrow Lesser Yellowlegs Red-eyed Vireo Field Sparrow Willet Blue Jay Vesper Sparrow Upland Sandpiper Black-billed Magpie Lark Sparrow Hudsonian Godwit American Crow Lark Bunting Marbled Godwit Horned Lark Savannah Sparrow Ruddy Turnstone Purple Martin Grasshopper Sparrow Red Knot Tree Swallow Song Sparrow Sanderling Northern Rough-winged Lincoln's Sparrow Semipalmated Sandpiper Swallow White-throated Sparrow Least Sandpiper Bank Swallow Harris's Sparrow White-rumped Sandpiper Cliff Swallow White-crowned Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Barn Swallow Chestnut-collared Longspur Pectoral Sandpiper Black-capped Chickadee Northern Cardinal Dunlin White-breasted Nuthatch Rose-breasted Grosbeak Stilt Sandpiper House Wren Black-headed Grosbeak Dowitcher species Sedge Wren Blue Grosbeak Long-billed Dowitcher Marsh Wren Lazuli Bunting Wilson’s Phalarope Ruby-crowned Kinglet Indigo Bunting Red-necked Phalarope Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Dickcissel Franklin’s Gull Eastern Bluebird Bobolink Ring-billed Gull Veery Red-winged Blackbird Black Tern Gray-cheeked Thrush Eastern Meadowlark Common Tern Swainson’s Thrush Western Meadowlark Forster’s Tern Hermit Thrush Yellow-headed Blackbird Rock Pigeon American Robin Common Grackle Eurasian Collared-Dove Gray Catbird Brown-headed Cowbird Mourning Dove Brown Thrasher Orchard Oriole Great Horned Owl European Starling Baltimore Oriole Common Nighthawk American Pipit House Finch Chimney Swift Cedar Waxwing American Goldfinch Belted Kingfisher Tennessee Warbler House Sparrow Red-headed Woodpecker Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Nashville Warbler Downy Woodpecker Northern Parula Hairy Woodpecker Yellow Warbler Northern Flicker Chestnut-sided Warbler American Kestrel Magnolia Warbler Peregrine Falcon Yellow-rumped Warbler Olive-sided Flycatcher “Myrtle" Eastern Wood-Pewee Palm Warbler Alder Flycatcher Blackpoll Warbler Willow Flycatcher Black-and-white Warbler “Traill’s” Flycatcher American Redstart Eastern Phoebe Ovenbird Say’s Phoebe Northern Waterthrush Vol. 68 No. 2 page 47 June 2016 Contents

President’s Page...... 31 by Roger Dietrich Yardstuff: May 2016 ...... 32 by Mick Zerr

Fledgling Tracts: A Beginner's Guide to Birdspeak: ...... 33 Part V–Field Marks" by Jason Thiele

Seasonal Reports: The 2015-2016 Winter Season ...... 38 by Jeffrey S. Palmer

Book Review: HBW, Bird Families of the World...... 43 by Douglas Chapman

Scholarship and Awards Committee Report–2016...... 43 by Jocelyn L. Baker

2016 SDOU Spring Meeting in Oacoma...... 46 by Rosemary Draeger

Tufted Titmouse ...... Back Cover Minnehaha County, 12/21/15 Photo: Gil Blankespoor